Were her current glasses so poor she could not read the notice on which the offer was printed? no, but...

Or...did one need a driver's license to prove one's age, and she had been banned from driving some years back? no, but there's something to this too

By Lewis Zeiters (Lzeiters) on Friday, June 10, 2005 - 03:39 am:

was she a quadriplegic? no

By Torgeir Apeland (Abc) on Monday, June 13, 2005 - 08:49 pm:

Suppose she'd had a friend who needed the glasses but didn't qualify for the offer. Anyone qualified, but for the sake of the argument... Is it likely she would have gone to the shop and bought a pair on behalf of her friend, just to be nice? no, but not out of lack of niceness

If I could read the wording of the offer, would that clear things up? If I could meet the old lady, would that clear things up? Even if I could only look at her, not talk to her? If I could do both, would that clear things up? Suppose someone got hold of a pair of discounted glasses and came to her place offering to sell them for the same price, would she have accepted? If it had been an offer for contact lenses instead of glasses, would that change things?

If I could read the wording of the offer, would that clear things up? noIf I could meet the old lady, would that clear things up? probablyEven if I could only look at her, not talk to her? noIf I could do both, would that clear things up? probablySuppose someone got hold of a pair of discounted glasses and came to her place offering to sell them for the same price, would she have accepted? possibly, probably notIf it had been an offer for contact lenses instead of glasses, would that change things? not in any relevant direction

Hmh. Did the lady already have one or more pairs of glasses? That she used and from which she got a benefit? If someone gave the budget glasses to her for free, would she use them? If someone forced her to use them, would she see better than without (provided the glasses were suitable for her to the maximum degree allowed by known and unknown conditions so far in the puzzle)?

Hmh. Did the lady already have one or more pairs of glasses? yesThat she used and from which she got a benefit? yesIf someone gave the budget glasses to her for free, would she use them? yes, but...If someone forced her to use them, would she see better than without (provided the glasses were suitable for her to the maximum degree allowed by known and unknown conditions so far in the puzzle)? yes, but...

If someone had ruined all her glasses, would she go buy one or more new pairs? If so, would she go to another shop and pay more for the new glasses, rather than exploiting the discount? Or would she go to the discount-shop but buy non-discounted glasses? Or would she buy the discounted glasses?

If someone had ruined all her glasses, would she go buy one or more new pairs? hopefully, not certainlyIf so, would she go to another shop and pay more for the new glasses, rather than exploiting the discount? noOr would she go to the discount-shop but buy non-discounted glasses? probably notOr would she buy the discounted glasses? possibly

So... she's not the full quid, so she passed up the offer because of that. She either didn't understand the offer, or forgot about it the moment after she'd heard about it? What else do we need to find out?

So... she's not the full quid, so she passed up the offer because of that. She either didn't understand the offer, or forgot about it the moment after she'd heard about it? What else do we need to find out? this is mainly it - it can be specified further, but if you don't feel up to it I'll give the full spioler this afternoon.

A chain of opticians offered reduced prices on glasses by as many percent as you were years old. (Actually I think the offer was only on the frames, but never mind.) We thought that would be a nice opportunity to get my grandmother, then 96, now 97, a new pair of glasses, because her old ones were clearly not as good as they could have been. Unfortunately Granny has lost almost all her short time memory, and so, even if we got her to the optician (she couldn't possibly get there on her own) she would have great difficulties in doing the eye test or even knowing what it was good for. So she could have gotten the cheapest glasses of her life, but it wasn't feasible.